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Wednesday, January 11

New Beginnings

New beginnings seem to happen all of the time. That is how life happens, something old is ALWAYS ending and something new is ALWAYS beginning. I have decided to start something new...and if you are reading this, then WELCOME TO MY NEW BEGINNING MY FRIENDS!!! I have never blogged before, but since this is the way technology is heading, I might as well start now. You may be wondering who I am and what I am here for...and if you stick with me for just a bit, you will soon find out. For my very first blog I want to tell you about my "something" that has just ended, which inturn leads to my "something" that is just beginning. Grab yourself a drink and enjoy the next few minutes with me as I take a walk through memory lane. This was my journey....

I graduated high school from Snyder High School in May 2004. I got married to a small town girl in August 2004. A few weeks later I started college at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. When I first started college I was completely gung ho about my new journey. I decided I would major in Elementary Education. To tell you the truth, I knew since 3rd grade that I wanted to be a teacher. After going to college for a year and a half, things started to go down hill. I was working a full time job at a fast food restaurant and quickly moved up the ladder to Shift Manager. I saw that I was making pretty decent money and started thinking that I didn't HAVE to finish college to lead a good life. I knew that I didn't want to work in the fast food industry for the rest of my life, but I thought it was a good start. One day, close to the end of the semester, life threw it's first curve ball at me. This curve ball was basically "the cherry on top" that made me decide that I could do things without a college degree. I decided to see what the world had to offer and postpone my college education. Shortly thereafter I decided to change jobs as well. NOW, I was no longer a college student and I was working at a quick stop. I was making the same amount of money at this job as I was being a Shift Manager at the fast food restaurant. Things were also going wonderfully at this job, however, I knew this still wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. One evening, while working at the quick stop, we had a guy come in who proceeded to rob us!!! It was by far the scariest thing I had ever encountered. That was when I decided to get serious about finding a job that would make me happy for the rest of my life. I applied at a loan office in Weatherford, Oklahoma and eventually got the job. This was a pretty decent job and the money was GREAT!!!! I met one of my best friends at this job (shout out Krystal)! It wasn't too long and the opportunity came for me to take a management position at another branch in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. My wife, being as supportive as she was, told me to go for it. I was now on my way to Tahlequah for the "job of a lifetime" (as I perceived it at that time). A few months in (and wouldn't you know it) live threw another curve ball at me. I quickly moved back to Weatherford and rejoined my friend Krystal at the Weatherford loan office branch. Since I was a previous manager at the Tahlequah branch and I abruptly had to leave my post, the Weatherford thing was only temporary. I had to take the first manager opening that presented itself. Luckily for me, a position opened up in Cordell, Oklahoma (about 30 minutes away from Weatherford). Now is the time for me to tell you a bit about the loan company that I worked for. It was their policy that if I saw a "customer" who owed the company money in a store (any store) it was my job (on or off the clock) to approach them and remind them that they owed us money. Cordell is a pretty small town, and quite a few people owed this company money. I was forever running into people who owed the company money. It didn't take too long and I started to get a bad name around town. Since I now lived in Cordell, I knew this wasn't a good position to be in. So, I started looking for another job. I (honest to God) found a WONDERFUL job at a pet food manufacturing plant. I was a clerk that dealt with all aspects of the business. This was a job that I would not have minded doing for a very long time. Despite ALL of life's ups and downs my wife continued to complete her college degree. After a few years of working at the pet food plant (and our first born child later), she was presented with a job offer that called for us to move. This move we were willing to make because it got us MUCH closer to home. So we moved to Altus, Oklahoma. This, of course, meant that I had to change jobs once again. Since my wife was going to be making pretty decent money and I had definately had my fill of job swapping, I decided that she would be the one bringing home the most amount of money and I would work a part time job and go back to school to complete my Elementary Education degree. Since Altus was not close to S.W.O.S.U., I decided to take as many courses ITV and only drive a few days back and forth. I got a pretty good job with a National cell phone provider, the money wasn't amazing, but they worked with my schedule VERY well. Over the time, I continued to work a part time job and go back and forth to school. Sometime during that year, we found out that my wife would not be rehired at her job and it meant another QUICK move (another nice curve ball wouldn't you say). We moved to Hollis, Oklahoma where my wife is originally from. After living in Hollis for about 6 months, my wife and I learned that we were expecting our second child. On the day that we found out we were having our second girl, I found out that my position was being done away with and I was now unemployeed (yet another WONDERFUL curve ball). Here was the big problem........my wife was still unemployeed!!! Since I am great at finding good jobs quickly (thank you God), I got a position at our local DHS office. I worked at this job and rounded out my college education. Finally, in August, I got the chance to do my student teaching in Hollis, in the 3rd grade. My student teaching went wonderfully and I learned quite a bit. Now, if you know anything about Hollis, this past year one of the 4th grade teachers was named Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. Little did I know, this would present an opportunity for me. Hollis Public Schools decided to give the Teacher of the Year some time off so she could focus on all of her appearances that she had to make. In the same decision, Hollis offered me a long term substituting position to cover her class. What this means is I am the "full time" teacher and she is my "instructional coach". Simply put: her and I work together to ensure that the class will succeed.

I hope you are still with me because this is where I get to the whole point for my first blog. My "something" that just ended was my whole college experience, and my "something" beginning is my journey to being a successful teacher. It really took all of the above experiences for me to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is what I am supposed to be doing for the rest of my life. I finally feel happy and content with my future, gone are the days of feeling like I don't fit in. I am pumped about my future and I am hoping that this "long term substitution" gig will turn into a full time position somewhere within the Hollis school district. I will post the good, the bad, and the great things that are happening in my teaching life. I hope that someone out in the World Wide Web will learn something about my mistakes, and possibly not make the same ones. Please feel free to leave me comments and/or suggestions and know that I will take them to heart.

As you sip that last sip out of your drink, I want to leave you with something that I found on the internet just a few moments ago. This will be the last of my post for today, and I thank you for spending a little time getting to know me.

This is the beginning of a new day. I have been given this day to use as I will. I can waste it. . . or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it! When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain and not loss; good and not evil; success, and not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it. I will try just for today, for you never fail until you stop trying.

3 comments:

Great Job Son! However you failed to mention that your loving father who would never lead you in the wrong direction actually forwarned you about not letting your college dreams disappear for the steady manager paycheck. Ah yes it seems that because you decided to follow different directions you have come around full circle. I am proud of you for sticking with your dreams and finishing what you started. I would never lead you wrong and maybe this all made you the more determined man that was inside of you all along. All my love,Your father.